As New York prepares to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, MAS is arranging for its annual presentation of Tribute In Light. A world-renowned symbol of commemoration and healing, Tribute In Light’s majestic beams of light will illuminate the lower Manhattan sky beginning at dusk on Saturday, September 11, and fading with the dawn of Sunday, September 12.

Funded by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, with the generous support of Con Edison, the project was co-founded by MAS and Creative Time. Tribute In Light was first presented on April 11, 2002, six months after the attacks. Continue Reading>>

 Light Fight with Denise Fong: Play Now | Play in Popup

Selecting the best street lighting for the “City That Never Sleeps” might seem to be a straightforward task of choosing what costs least and illuminates most, but the question is more complicated. How do you factor in energy efficiency and sustainability? Do laboratory measurements of light sources accurately reflect the way light is perceived on the street? What are the advantages and disadvantages of high pressure sodium and metal halide lights? New York City is participating in a pilot project using LED-technology. Is LED technology the certain way of the future or does it have its own drawbacks? What choices have other cities made—and why?

The Municipal Art Society of New York is celebrating the arrival of spring with an entire month devoted to the city’s streets — those elements (including roads, adjoining buildings, sidewalks, street furniture, trees, plantings and open spaces) that combine to form the character of a street. We chose New York’s Changing Streetscapes for our April tour and events series because streets constitute more than a quarter of our city — our largest public space — and can be a core indicator of livability.

We have assembled exciting and thought-provoking panels of experts to discuss ways to build a better street, and to examine what New York can learn from other great cities. These panel discussions are complemented by a range of streets-focused tours.

“The Municipal Art Society is pleased to continue its long-standing tradition of offering events that educate and enlighten New Yorkers about their city,” said Vin Cipolla, MAS President. “New Yorkers’ growing interest in developing the city’s pedestrian areas could make this one of our most popular series yet.”

Our month-long series kicks-off on Saturday, April 3, with Manhattan Streetscapes: The Good, Bad & The Awful, a tour of some of the best and worst streetscapes that Manhattan has to offer, from the charm of Stone Street to others that sport sorry furniture and illegal signage. This tour is supplemented on Wednesday, April 7 by the panel discussion Are New York’s Streets Out of (Design) Control? .

Events and tours are priced at $15, $10 MAS members and are open to the public. Please note the various locations around the city. For more information about these events, visit MAS.org/calendar or call 212 935-2075. Continue Reading>>

Last Friday, on the eighth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, MAS contributing level members and higher joined MAS staff and directors to view the illumination of the Tribute in Light® from the downtown rooftop that houses the great battery of lights, accompanied by a brief lecture from architectural historian Francis Morrone on the tradition of using light as commemoration. Though the lights were partially obscured by low cloud and inclement weather, many of the images in the slideshow were taken during this year’s illumination.

The Tribute in Light honors those who were lost on September 11, as well as those who worked so hard to get our city through its greatest trial. The idea for the lights was independently conceived by several artists and designers, who were brought together under the auspices of the Municipal Art Society and Creative Time. The Tribute in Light is now produced annually by the MAS on the September 11th anniversary. It was designed by John Bennett, Gustavo Bonevardi, Richard Nash Gould, Julian Laverdiere, Paul Myoda and lighting designer Paul Marantz. Tribute in Light is made possible by a grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and with the generous assistance of Con Edison.

To learn more about the history of the project and how it is put together annually, click here to watch a narrated slideshow.

This Friday the Tribute in Light will illuminate the skies over Lower Manhattan for the eighth year to commemorate the attacks on the World Trade Center. The Tribute in Light honors those who were lost on September 11, as well as those who worked so hard to get our city through its greatest trial.

The idea for the lights was independently conceived by several artists and designers, who were brought together under the auspices of the Municipal Art Society and Creative Time. The Tribute in Light is now produced annually by the MAS on the September 11th anniversary. It was designed by John Bennett, Gustavo Bonevardi, Richard Nash Gould, Julian Laverdiere, Paul Myoda and lighting designer Paul Marantz. Tribute in Light is made possible by a grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and with the generous assistance of Con Edison. Continue Reading>>

Click here to read Lauren Collins’ article in this week’s New Yorker magazine on Howard Brandston’s recent “Night and Light and the City” MAS walking tour.

Noticing the difference between the yellow light of high pressure sodium and the white light of metal halide is akin to learning a new word. Once you know it, you see it everywhere. One woman on the walking tour suddenly noticed on her umpteenth bike ride across the Brooklyn Bridge that it is partly lighted by metal halide and partly by high pressure sodium — and that she much prefers the true colors conveyed by metal halide lights.

What about you? Do you have a favorite nighttime walk or bike ride? A park or street or esplanade that has special beauty after the sun goes down? Or, are there parts of city that you dislike because of the lighting? Let us know and it will help us plan our next nighttime walking tour, come fall.

A group of more than 50 New Yorkers gathered last night in Herald Square for an after-dark walking tour. They came to hear about the difference between high pressure sodium (HPS) and metal halide (MH) lighting from Howard Brandston, one of this country’s leading lighting designers — and to see the difference for themselves. The City is in favor of HPS lights to save energy, money, and lessen light pollution of the night sky. The streetscape committee at MAS favors MH.

Under HPS lights on Eighth Avenue, fair-skinned people looked yellow, evergreens appeared brown and dying, and primary colors (held aloft on colored foam core boards) turned muddy and difficult to distinguish. Howard Brandston described HPS lighting as appropriate for roadways and highways, but not for a city which (as Lewis Mumford wrote) “…exists not for the passage of motor cars, but for the care and culture of man.” Continue Reading>>